Abstract

The effects of volume fraction modulations on a Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction catalyzed by the photosensitive Ru(bpy)3+2 confined in an AOT microemulsion system are analyzed. Kinetic observables such as the induction time or the initial oscillation period demonstrate two different types of correlation with the volume fraction depending on whether the system is below or above the microemulsionpercolation threshold. Temporal evolution also demonstrates an exponential growth of the period with the number of oscillations independent of the volume fraction of the system.

Received 25 November 2010Accepted 11 February 2011Published online 07 March 2011

Acknowledgments:

The authors thank MICINN by funding through research projects FIS2007-64698, FIS2010-21023, and MAT2010-17336, Xunta de Galicia through projects INCITE09206020PR and for European Regional Development Funds (research project 2010/50) and Fundación Ramón Areces for additional financial support. J.C.L. was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education for a FPI grant.